Change Model 3: John Kotter's 8 Steps of Leading Change

Background:

For leaders of organizations, managing change is an important strategic task. In the last ten years, there have been numerous studies which all confirmed that between 60-80% of all change projects fail fully or partly: either the objectives of the project are not achieved or the projects cannot be completed in time or on budget. Usually, a lot is at stake: money, personal reputation, and the health of the organization.

So, the 1 million dollar question for any change leader is: How can I make sure that my change project is successful? John Kotter, one of the leading management thinkers and writes has given his answer to this question by providing an eight step model for leading change. Except for the mother of all change models - Kurt Lewin's unfreeze-move-freeze, which I yet have to describe in this series - Kotter's eight steps model is probably the best known and the most applied.


Originator of the Model:

John Kotter, his book "Leading Change" (1996)



Phases of the Change Process (taken from strategicconnections.com):

John Kotter's 8 step process - an overview
Steps	Transformation Suggestions
1. Increase urgency	Examine market and competitive realities Identify and discuss crisis, potential crisis, or major opportunities Provide evidence from outside the organization that change is necessary
2. Build the Guiding Team	Assemble a group with enough power to lead the change effort Attract key change leaders by showing enthusiasm and commitment Encourage the group to work together as a team
3. Get the Vision Right	Create a vision to help direct the change effort Develop strategies for achieving that vision
4. Communicate for Buy-in	Build alignment and engagement through stories Use every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies Keep communication simple and heartfelt Teach new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition
5. Empowering Action	Remove obstacles to the change Change systems and / or structures that work against the vision
6. Create short term wins	Plan for and achieve visible performance improvements Recognize and reward those involved in bringing the improvements to life
7. Do Not Let Up	Plan for and create visible performance improvements Recognize and reward personnel involved in the improvements Reinforce the behaviours shown that led to the improvements
8. Make Change Stick	Articulate the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success

Applicability:

The Kotter model can be applied for all top-down change processes, i.e. for projects that have been decided at the top management level of an organization. The US Army applied it to prepare the troops for the new forms of asymetrical threat.

Does the Model Relate to Complexity Theory?

No. Kotter's eight steps is a linear model that assumes predictability and manageability of change processes.


Strengths:

• Focus on buy-in of employees as the focus for success
• Clear steps which can give a guidance for the process
• Easy to understand
• Can be successful when all steps are well communicated
• Fits well into the culture of classical hierarchies
  

Weaknesses:

• The linearity of the model can lead to wrong assumptions.
  
• Once the process has started, it is difficult to change the direction.
  
• The model is clearly top-down, it gives no room for co-creation or other forms of true participation.
  
• Can lead to deep frustrations among employees if the stages of grief and individual needs are not taken into consideration.

More Resources:

Website of John Kotter.